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Sts. Peter and Paul

A 1775 painting of the fireworks over Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome, painted by Jakob Philipp Hackert. / Credit: Public Domain

Vatican fireworks: A 500-year-old Tradition for the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul

Jun 29, 2024

Each year on June 29, fireworks are launched from atop Castel Sant’Angelo in celebration of the co-patron saints of Rome, St. Peter and St. Paul.

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Blessed Jacques-Désiré Laval (right) and Bishop Jean Michaël Durhône (right). Credit: Catholic Diocese of Port Louis

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Pope Francis addresses cardinals and senior Vatican officials during his annual Christmas speech to the Roman Curia, Dec. 21, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

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Bishop Gerhard Feige of Magdeburg in Germany. / Credit: Magdeburg Diocese

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Members of the envisaged Association of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe (ACBC-MAZAZI) and Apostolic Nuncio in Zambia and Malawi, Archbishop Gian Luca Perici (in white). Credit: Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM)

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Christmas lights line a street in Rome, Italy, Dec. 17, 2024. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

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Nigerian Christian mother of five Rhoda Jatau was acquitted of blasphemy charges after a two-and-a-half-year legal battle. / Credit: Photo courtesy of ADF International

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Blessed Jacques-Désiré Laval (right) and Bishop Jean Michaël Durhône (right). Credit: Catholic Diocese of Port Louis

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Pope Francis addresses cardinals and senior Vatican officials during his annual Christmas speech to the Roman Curia, Dec. 21, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

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Members of the Inter-Religious Council of Sierra Leone (IRCSL). Credit: The Calabash Newspaper/Facebook

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Members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia (CBCE). Credit: CBCE

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Bishop Gerhard Feige of Magdeburg in Germany. / Credit: Magdeburg Diocese

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Pope Francis prays during Mass at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024 / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

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